Her Reason to Love by AutumnButterflylives
by MeetTheMateContest
Summary: Is there something out there worth fighting for? Worth moving on from the past? Bella runs, trying to keep her friends and family safe, but at what cost to her?


**Title:** Her Reason to Love

 **Summary:** Is there something out there worth fighting for? Worth moving on from the past? Bella runs, trying to keep her friends and family safe, but at what cost to her?

 **Paring:** Bella/Garrett

 **Rating:** M

 **Word Count:** 2793

* * *

I do not own Twilight, just borrowing the characters.

I needed more blood, immediately. I wasn't sure how to go about it with my mate attached to my neck, taking what blood I could offer her. I was weakening, and not able to move from my spot with Bella curled up on my lap. Every breath I took in burned my throat, setting me a fire. Her hands held tightly to my shredded polo shirt and she kept shivering, although she couldn't possibly be cold. Her skin was smooth and like silk; just like my own.

I would have thought she was in shock, like most humans would be after going through something tragic, but knew she was mid-change. Changing from a human into a vampire. She would no longer be weak and fragile. She'd be strong, independent, and her own person. No one would be telling her what to do ever again.

I blindly grabbed my cell phone from the side table that I had tossed it on sometime during the last two days, before dialing the number that I hadn't wanted to call. But I was desperate. I needed blood, and so did my mate.

"Garrett?" Esme's voice answered, confused, since I was just two floors above her. I had bypassed my own guest room for the attic, trying to put as many floors between the other vampires in the house and my mate.

I was glad that there was a clean bed up here. Esme kept the entire house spotless, and put an extra bed up here in case any of her 'children' popped in. Although it didn't seem like any of the other coven mates would show up anytime soon.

"Blood," was all I was able to manage out before Bella took another pull from my neck, igniting a grunt and purr out of me. My dick was hard, but I refused to take what I wanted from her body until she was in a better mental state. My voice was weak like the rest of me, and I couldn't talk any louder.

"I'll send Nessie up with a few bags," Esme said before ending the call.

I never expected my mate to be so . . . broken. She was just skin and bones when I found her less than a week ago. I had no idea what her mental status was now, as she had been pigheaded and strong minded when I first laid eyes on her. I would have never have thought this could happen to her, and I knew I didn't want to risk moving her if I didn't have to in her fragile state.

I was instantly drawn to her. She was a spit fire, full of strength and hope, even after everything she had been through. Big brown eyes, showing me her soul and anger at the world.

She may not have told me everything, but I got the gist of it.

She had been left by the one person she thought she'd be spending the rest of her life with. He had left her in the forest, and she would have died if it had not been for the wolf pack, which I loathed, but was grateful to at the same time.

Her best friend, Jacob Black, had been the one to clue me in on why she was so skinny and pale. I could see the past haunting her as she tried to run from it. I hadn't known about the red headed female vampire chasing her, causing her to be so scared that she left everything behind, even her father and friend.

Bella had nearly left again, but had called, giving me clues to what was going on when Victoria caught up to her. She was going to run again, fearing that the bitch would come after her friends. It irritated me that Bella underestimated me. I could take another vampire down in a blink of an eye.

Jacob and I worked together, capturing the nomad and tearing her apart before I quickly went to my mate, seeing that she had been bitten. I picked her up, injecting some my own venom into her over the spot that the red headed bitch had tried to drain her from. The nomad's bite wasn't nearly enough to change her without a great amount of pain.

I then rushed her to the Cullen household that wasn't far from where she had stopped her rented car, since I was currently visiting Carlisle and Esme. I had been glad that Edward was not there, and wouldn't be showing up at all, as he was currently working with the Volturi Kings. I wouldn't have even considered bringing my mate here if he had been here.

I was happy to see that she had filled out during her change, although the change had been quicker for her than I had ever seen with any other Vampire. It could have been because I had added more venom and not solely relied on the bite mark on her wrist, because no matter how much venom a vampire gets inside the blood stream, a change will happen. It could take three days, or even weeks.

I had seen both things happen. My turning was exactly three days, but I had seen many people change in my past and none as fast as Bella's had happened.

I heard a light knock on the attic door before it was pushed opened, revealing Nessie with her brown and red hair pulled back into a braid. Her green eyes were wide in shock as she took in how we were on the bed. My head restedagainst the headrest, not having enough strength to support it **.** I was sure my eyes were black as I held Bella as close me as I could. She needed me, and I wouldn't let her down.

"Slowly," I said, giving her the okay to come forward. She seemed to be the only one that Bella could stand being in the same room as her besides myself, for the last two days.

I was sure it was due to the fact that Nessie was half human and half vampire. She was the first one I had been able to meet personally, although I had heard of them before. And with her history with vampires, it would be normal for her to fear them while she was so weak during her change.

"Anything else?" Nessie asked quietly as she handed a blood bag to me, setting the other four next to my leg on the bed.

"That's all. Thank you, Nessie. You are a life saver," I replied, about to bite into the bag.

The half vampire was gone, closing the door behind her before I had the bag to my mouth and opened, greedily drinking the stale human blood. I didn't care for the taste of bagged blood, but it would work in a pinch **.**

I wasn't sure if it would truly do anything to help me since Bella kept her teeth implanted in my neck, but it was worth a shot. She would have to let go sometime.

"Please, sweetheart," I said, tossing the empty bag to the floor. I wasn't sure what I wanted most. Her to bring us both pleasure, as I was already about to explode as her scent of arousal was strong, or for her stop drinking from me.

I made a mental note to speak to Carlisle when I got a chance to. He may know since he's well known as a vampire doctor of our kind. I knew vampires marked their mates, but I was truly concerned with the way my mate was behaving. I was pretty sure it wasn't normal for a vampire to act so . . . . like this. She was like a newborn baby.

"You gotta stop baby," I moaned out, keeping my head back against the headrest. The blood I had just consumed **,** was now gone as Bella drew more from me. I had no idea what to do. This was the first time in my life I had been at such a loss.

Bella must have known, as she let out a whine before retracting her fangs and closing my wound with her venom. She didn't move her head from my neck and shoulder area, but at least she stopped feeding from me. I could feel the sting of the bite still, but didn't mind.

I downed another blood bag, feeling my strength returning as the blood entered my system. I closed my eyes and ran my fingers through my mate's brown hair down her back. I had yet to see what she looked like since her change, but I fell in love with her when my eyes spotted her just days ago.

She had been through so much in the past year, and I made a vow that I wouldn't' let her suffer alone any longer. I had hoped to have a little more time with her being a human before I changed her, helping her have a clearer understanding of what she meant to me.

I didn't expect her to love me right away, but I hoped for both of our sake that she wouldn't push me away. I couldn't leave if she tried to make me, but I could give her the space that she wanted until she knew what she wanted. I'd even be okay with just being friends, as long as I was in her immortal life.

"I have no idea what is going on in your head, but we can stay here like this for as long as you want," I whispered out, hoping my voice would keep her calm.

She nuzzled her nose into my neck and breathed in my scent. I couldn't help but purr, loving that she breathed me in like I did her. She smelt amazing to me. Her original human scent was still there, but was more potent, more floral.

"Once you are upto it, there's another bag of blood for you, or if you want to go with animal, I can have someone bring you one up here," I went on. "It's up to you what you'd like to use for your food source I won't force you either way." I'd even munch on animals if she wanted me to, as long as she got what she needed.

She shrugged, and that alone let me know that she was coherent, able to understand what I was saying.

"You don't have to answer, but do you remember who I am?" I asked, needing to know what she remembered exactly.

"Garrett," she whispered, her lips touching my neck gently along where her teeth had been not too long ago. I was just barely able to contain another moan, knowing she wasn't purposely trying to kill me with lust, but it didn't help my reaction towards it. Mating marks were meant to show off vampires that were mated, and a huge turn on when having relations with the mated vampire.

"Do you remember what happened?" I asked, and felt her nod her head against me with a deep sigh. That was at least a start. "You don't have to talk, okay. I've got you, sweetheart."

I began to hum, knowing she was confused and lost with everything that had happened. It didn't help that Edward, a person who claimed to be her mate at one time, left her, destroying her heart in the process. I wasn't sure how she'd take to knowing who we were currently staying with.

I could still remember when I turned, burning straight for three days. It seemed that my mate didn't have to go through that sort of pain. I was glad that was one less thing to worry about. I gathered, that she may be in this state for the next twenty four hours or more, depending on how fast my venom spread in her veins. I had so many things I wanted to ask, but refrained. Now wasn't the time.

I may be over a hundred years old, but the burning fire in my veins would never be something I could forget. I could still feel it today if I thought about it, and it wasn't something I thought of often.

Bella not having to go through that sort of pain, it was a great relief to me. She hadn't been screaming and crying out, so I had a good idea that she didn't feel that burning fire like I had. It was a much needed break for her.

I had seen the revolutionary war, fought in it even as a vampire, and took the life of the ones dying because I needed blood. I roamed the world, even helping the Vampire Kings for a while until I parted on good terms with them. I had long since gave up ever finding a mate.

It would kill me if I left her, even if she begged me to. I wouldn't do it. I would be here for her, knowing that next year could either bring us closer to one another, or force us to tolerate each other just to not be in pain that would consume our chests.

I hadn't known she was going to try to run, but I should have expected it after I talked to Jacob that same day Bella said she was going to go clothes shopping. I didn't know she was planning on a way to get past the both of us, leaving us a blank trail to follow as she ran off as fast as she could.

She was smart; I had to give her credit. Saying she needed to bring the car back to trick Victoria had given me just enough time to get there and save her from a painful death and would stop her where she sat.

"Please," she whimpered out, trying to clutch at me more. Her voice was low and pain filled as I felt her wet tears along my neck.

"What do you need?" I asked, pulling her closer, although she was as close as she could possibly be.

"Thirsty," she answered with a pleading cry. "You."

Without a thought, I tore open a bag blood, holding it up to where her mouth was pressed against me.I wouldn't be able to keep up my own strength if I allowed her to drink from me again; I needed to make sure she was protected. And I couldn't protect her if something were to happen and I was too weak.

"Here, drink this," I said, helping her to get the bag situated and letting go of her just an inch so she could move back. The bagged blood would lesson her thirst, but also not let her get hooked on the taste of human blood, giving her the option of being able to try animals later on once she was completely changed.

Faster than I expected, she took the bag from my hands, sucking the blood down without moving her head from my neck. I wanted to see her eyes, but would keep this position for as long as she wanted. I'd hold her till next season if she wanted me to.

Once the blood was gone, I took the empty bag and tossed it to the floor with the other bags. I could tell when Bella was more like her normal self again, even though she refused to move. Her breathing evened out, showing me more than words, that she wasn't panicking over what had happened.

It was about half an hour later that Bella pulled back and looked at me in awe. I couldn't help but look at her the same way. Her once skinny facehadfiled out, showing her smooth skin and perfect cheek bones. Her bright red eyes bore into my very soul.

"Hi," she whispered with a blink.

"Hello, Bella," I smiled, happy she was finally coherent.

"Sorry about that," she said, shifting her eyes to where her mating mark was on my neck. I simply shrugged, not concerned about it. I'd wear this mark, and any others she would give me, proudly.

"What are you?" she asked me, squinting her eyes at me once she moved her sight back to my red eyes.

"A vampire," I answered, amused. I was sure she knew that I was her mate already. "But I'll be whatever you want me to be. So for now, just a friend." I made sure to keep my emotions calm and collected, letting her take the reigns to decide on how we would proceed with our friendship.

"A friend," she agreed, laying her head back down with a happy sigh. "I think I like that, Garrett."

* * *

Please remember to leave the author some love. If you believe you know the author's identity, please refrain from mentioning this in your review, as it could lead to disqualification. Thank you, and happy reading. x


End file.
